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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23532040">Journey into the grizzles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigFootAteMyAss/pseuds/BigFootAteMyAss'>BigFootAteMyAss</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Near Death Experience, soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:41:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,494</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23532040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigFootAteMyAss/pseuds/BigFootAteMyAss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Albert makes an impromptu visit into the Grizzlies and walks directly into trouble.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Albert Mason/Arthur Morgan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Journey into the grizzles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He's a fool. A halfwit. A moron. A complete and utter buffon.</p>
<p>Heading into the Grizzlies while so entirely unprepared, acting on a whim and relying solely on the advice of a drunken racist with a raccoon hat in the town of Valentine is, to put it simply, quite the move of a dimwit who has taken a knock to the head.</p>
<p>Although in his defence, the strangers confident and derogatory rambles about how a city man such as himself 'would never be able to track such a beast' had managed to rile him up some. </p>
<p>Albert had been eating his lunch, safe and sound in the warmth of Smithfields Saloon - trying hard to ignore the stranger with the racoon hat for his own sanity- when within the mans rambles the topic of a pure white bison living up in the grizzlies had piqued his interest, and against his better judgement Albert had engaged the man in a conversation- the photographer side of him was desperate to learn more.</p>
<p>Of course his enquiries were not met with a dignified response and Albert became set on proving a point to this stranger, and so while buzzing with anger at the insults and adrenaline from the prospects of seeing such a magnificent creature, he finished his food and left straight for the Grizzlies with no solid plan and nothing but his camera, an extra coat and what was already on his horse.</p>
<p>It was only when he was about two hours into the journey that he realises that he had proved the wrong point.<br/>The temperature was dropping fast, snow had began to fall, and dark was quickly taking over light. </p>
<p>Desperation to find the bison, take a picture, and get back to Valentine before day was up had taken over when Albert spotted what looked to be some possible buffalo tracks. </p>
<p>The tracks were large, though quickly being covered over from the harsh winds and the falling snow, and whatever it was that left the tracks seemed to be walking on all fours, which Albert assumed was always a good sign when hunting bison.</p>
<p>His hope now given new life, he dismounted his horse, grabbed his lantern and camera, and followed on without a second thought.</p>
<p>He had to move fast to ensure he didnt lose the track, which was proving to be near impossible as the snow was reaching half way up his legs and was limiting his movement, but he trudged along anyway as fast as his numbing legs allowed, following deeper into a large gathering of trees and inspecting only the ground in front of him with each step, paying almost no attention to his surroundings, like a moron. </p>
<p>Under the trees, the layer of snow had significantly decreased in size which Albert was thankful for. <br/>It allowed the tracks to become clearer and more pronounced as the fresh snow was being mostly blocked by the density of the trees.</p>
<p>He followed on a few paces further to where the tracks looked almost new, and he briefly wondered if the bison he had seen before had such human like hands.</p>
<p>That thought, however, was cut off abruptly by a deep and powerful growl that resonated within Alberts body, his head snapping up to see a large grizzly bear standing tall on its back legs just a mere few feet in front of him.</p>
<p>He took a step back, dropping his camera as he raises his ungloved hands into a surrender as if the bear would understand, and remained frozen to the spot with fear; eyes wide and jaw slack. </p>
<p>The bear seemed to remain just as agitated with Alberts peaceful surrender, dropping onto all fours and hitting the ground as it lets out a series of warning growls.</p>
<p>Albert doesn't know what to do, never having foreseen such a situation for himself, and needs to figure out his next move but all that his brain can manage to provide him with is "Shit, Shit, Shit, it's a bear"</p>
<p>The bear is popping it's jaw at Albert now as it slaps the ground harder, body bouncing as the growling only grows louder and lasts for longer. </p>
<p>He feels such a fool for getting himself in this situation all just to spite a drunken stranger he had met in a saloon, when the man had been right anyway. </p>
<p>He had let his pride get the better of him simply just for him to die alone in this barren land, to be forgotten and buried within the snow without being able to ever finish his photography expedition. <br/>What a halfwit, moron and complete an utter baffoon he is. </p>
<p>The bear seems to make for a lunge forward, and Albert hunches in on himself, eyes closing and dropping his lantern as his hands move to cover his face in fear as he awaits the force of the bear to tackle him to his death. </p>
<p>After a few seconds of nothing happening though, a voice cuts in over the bears growls from behind him.</p>
<p>"Don't turn around, but just take a step back. Slowly. She’s just tryin’ to scare you away" They sound familiar, and are speaking with a calm and even tone despite the situation, Albert can't find it in him to focus enough on who the voice belongs to when his brain is focusing so much on somehow not being dead. </p>
<p>He listens to the voice and takes a small step back, hands coming away from his face to peek over at the bear, which is in the same spot as before. </p>
<p>"Look behind her. She thinks that you’re a threat to her cubs, so keep backin’ away from her and don't look her in the eyes," the voice continues, "It's gonna be okay,Al, move slowly and wave your arms around gently. She'll like that."</p>
<p>The voice calms Albert, and his eyes drop to behind the mother bear where he sees two small cubs that he had previously failed to notice before standing nervously by a tree. </p>
<p>He listens to what he's told again, raising both of his arms slightly above his head to wave his hands at the bear ,which stays put in its its defensive pose, although steadily seeming less agitated with every step back that he takes.</p>
<p>After about eight small steps back, the bear has calmed down and enough distance is made for Albert to not be deemed a threat to the bear, and she turns to herd away her cubs.</p>
<p>Albert watches intently as she disappears further into the trees, still feeling apprehensive of the bears next move, when two hands grip his shoulders and give him a gentle shake and a pat.</p>
<p>"Good to see you again, Mister Mason." The voice says, filled with amusement this time, and it's only then that Albert realises just who his saviour is, and somehow <br/>he is not surprised at all.</p>
<p>"Arthur!" Albert exclaims with a shaky voice, turning around to see his saviour standing there with his head down in attempts to hide the half grin on his face, teeth showing ever so slightly. </p>
<p>His nose and cheeks were both a rosy red and he was sporting quite a longer beard than his usual length, although it was still  not as long as Alberts own. </p>
<p>He was wearing a long denim jacket that had fur sticking out at the collar, with his distinctive gambler hat upon his head now with a lovely feather addition. He also had a shotgun hanging off from his shoulder which with anyone else would make Albert feel uneasy, but for the sight of the Arthur only makes him feel safe. </p>
<p>"How lovely of you to show up, and right on time might I add."</p>
<p>Arthur let out a chuckle, "Yeah, well you know me. I'll never miss a chance to save a damsel in distress" he says, moving the shotgun to his back before walking over and picking up Alberts camera and lantern, dusting the snow off as he brought them back to Albert.</p>
<p>Albert looked around, and remembered where he was. <br/>"As glad as I am that you’re here Mister Morgan, what on Earth are you doing up here in the Grizzlies?" Albert questioned, "and on top of that, how did you manage to find me here?" </p>
<p>Arthur handed the lantern to Albert to carry but kept hold of the camera, before turning towards the way they had both entered, gently patting Alberts back as a way of prompting him to follow along with him.</p>
<p>"I came here to find a horse. A white Arabian. It's supposedly one of the fastest horses to exist. Only thing I found so far is what I'm guessing was your horse, saw it come runnin' from this direction and figured who ever was ridin' it would need help," He let out a small chuckle, <br/>"I was right about that one, wasn't I" He nudged Albert with his elbow teasingly as he said that last bit, but Albert only agreed. </p>
<p>"Ah, well I thank you for lending a hand there Mister Morgan, I cannot begin to fathom what would've happened to me if you didn't show up. You have truly saved my life once again."</p>
<p>"It's really no problem, I'm glad I got to help in time " he said sincerely.<br/> <br/>Albert looked up at Arthur as they walked. He could not believe that this man, who had gone out of his way to save his life on multiple occasions, is a wanted, murdering outlaw with a $5000 bounty on his head. </p>
<p>At times like this, Albert could believe that Arthur wouldn't even hurt a fly. </p>
<p>Maybe this is all a grand plot to lure him into a false feeling of security before he murders him, he wonders, before pushing that thought away and feeling bad at even having a thought like that, considering that Arthur had been nothing but kind to him and has also willingly walked into dangerous situations in order to prevent his untimely demise, and with nothing to gain in return.</p>
<p>Albert truly believes that Arthur really is a good man underneath it all, no matter how much he denies it.</p>
<p>Upon exiting the covering of trees, a frigid and forceful wind blew its way down the back of Albert's neck, causing a shiver to run throughout his body. </p>
<p>It had gotten considerably colder, and he looked up to the sky to see only a large, dark cloud. He wondered just how long he was in the stand off with the bear before <br/>Arthur had come to his aid.</p>
<p>Large snowflakes fell softly down onto his face as he looked up, and he closed his eyes to take a second to breath and feel the snow, the wind wrapping around him, and to take a moment to exist and be thankful for being alive. </p>
<p>Time felt like it had begun to slow down now that he was finally safe again.</p>
<p>He hadn’t died alone to be buried and forgotten like he had thought he would only moments ago - or maybe he did die and now he's in heaven, he thinks. He's always been sweet on Arthur so him being in his heaven wouldn't be a surprise to Albert at all.</p>
<p>Remembering that Arthur was indeed still there, he opened his eyes feeling slightly embarrased, only to see Arthur staring straight back at him. Arthur gave him a <br/>small smile when he saw Albert look his way.<br/>"Nice, ain't it? To feel the snow" Arthur said, more than asked.<br/>"Yeah..." Albert agreed, looking at Arthur in the eyes, feeling slightly breathless all of a sudden. </p>
<p>"I-uh, T-Thank you Arthur, really. I thought that was going to be it for me but I'm really grateful to still be alive." He admits. </p>
<p>As the adrenaline subsides and death was no longer imminent, Albert realises that he was begining to feel quite emotional as it completely sinks in just how close of a call that really was, and tears start to well up in his eyes. </p>
<p>He sniffs and uses his jacket sleeve to try and dry his eyes before letting out a half- hearted chuckle.</p>
<p>"Look at me, one encounter with a bear and I'm reduced to tears. How very pathetic." he says, attempting to use self deprecation as an attempt to make this less awkward for them both.</p>
<p>Arthur looks sympathetic, and grabs Alberts shoulders to pull him so that they are face to face,  bending his knees slightly to be at eye level with Albert.</p>
<p>"Hey, there ain't nothing pathetic about being scared by bears, Mason. It's a scary thing facin' death like that," he tells him, before pulling him forward and wrapping his arms around the shorter man. “Sometimes y’need to cry to feel better”</p>
<p>Albert readily accepts the hug and his head falls against Arthurs' chest, the taller mans strong arms wrapping around him tightly, engulfing Albert with the warmth that radiates from the other man, warming  straight him through to the bone, and instantly making him feel safer and more comfortable than he’d ever felt before.</p>
<p>Tears slip readily from his eyes and down his cheeks, and he’s not allowing himself to think too hard about how embarrassed he would be if this was any other time or person. </p>
<p>Arthur gives very good hugs, Albert finds out. <br/>It was maybe even the best hug that he had ever received. Or maybe he's just being biased, but Arthur continues to hug Albert until his sniffling calms down before finally piping up,<br/>"feelin better?" He mumbles into Albert's hair. </p>
<p>He nods, and reluctantly pulls away from Arthur arms, not wanting to overdo it even further by dragging on the hug more than normal.</p>
<p>"Yes, thank you. I'm feeling far better now." He says wiping away the last of the tears. </p>
<p>"Good...good," Arthur begins, "It's gotten too late to find your horse now though. Do you want me to give you a ride to Valentine, or we could set up camp for tonight and I can help you look for your horse in the morning?”</p>
<p>“Well, I do quite like that horse if I’m being honest... but I don’t have my camping equipment on me” he tells Arthur.</p>
<p>He lets out a small chuckle,<br/>“I wouldn’t have expected you to Mason, you don’t even have gloves. If I may say, you don’t seem the most prepared for this.” </p>
<p>Albert looked at his numb, red hands like he had forgotten he even had them.<br/>“Yes, you are quite right aren’t you” he agrees before shoving his hands underneath his coat.</p>
<p>“It’s not a worry, Mason, I’ve got all we need to survive.”</p>
<p>Arthur whistles for his horse, and soon after a black shire appears from within the trees. <br/>“C’mon, I know a good spot just up this path.” He mounts up effortlessly, and offers a hand down to help Albert up.</p>
<p>“Hold on.” Arthur says, before setting off.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! I hope u like this :)<br/>I had trouble finishing this, and had started writing a whole other part where they actually get to the camp and ACTUALLY get together  but I stopped writing for about 2 months and have gone back into Brooklyn 99 as a hyperfixation and just didn’t know if it would be worth continuing this.<br/> If I get the motivation again, I may do a second chapter. Thanks for reading</p></blockquote></div></div>
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